Overboard
by CeeSixAychTwelveOhSix
Summary: AU, written preDH, but still retaining elements of canon. Natalie has never known anything outside of her home. For fifteen years, her only friends have been her mother and her Diary. Boy, is she in for a surprise.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Just a little bit of background for y'all. I wrote this story when I was fourteen years old. So a little over two years ago. I think the sixth book had either just come out, or it was about to be released. I don't remember. Anyhoo, I'd just gotten started writing fanfiction on a different website and I thought I was SuperAuthor, capable of making even the lamest ideas seem interesting. Needless to say, I got bored after a few chapters and scrapped the story. Well, as I was browsing through my documents earlier today, I came across this story and found myself reading through it again. And while I noticed that there were quite a few flaws in the actual text (along with some canon conflicts), I also saw that it's a pretty good idea for a story. It just needs to be beefed up a bit.

Oh, and the title is taken from a song of the same name by Ingrid Michaelson. I got her CD for Christmas and fell in love with it :) Plus I think it goes pretty well with the premise of the story.

Enjoy.

* * *

August 31st 

11:57 PM

Dear diary,

I don't know what else to say but this: I'm terrified. I've never been able to handle abrupt change on my own. I wish Mother were here right now. She'd know what to do. She'd find the right words to say, the calming tune to hum. She was always able to do that. But Mother isn't here. She never will be.

I wish Father was more of a daddy, or even just a dad. I wish he would be more personal. I wish he would say more to me than "go wash your hands again" or "you're not going to wear that, are you?" whenever he sees me. But that's not the way he is. He's never been that way. I really don't know what Mother saw in him that made her fall in love with him. Because she was in love with him. She told me so many times. She told me how kind and caring and charming my father always was to her. She said that it should be enough to know that you're being taken care of and leave it at that. I was never satisfied with that. I wanted him to love me, to care about me. Mother said that my father does love me. Mother said he just can't show me.

Mother said a lot of things that confused me.

I just glanced down at my watch. It is officially the first day of September. In less than six hours I will be in a car, traveling to the train station. From there I will be sent off to God-knows-where. Exiled with hundreds of other children to a vast hall of learning for months at a time. At least they all have breaks to look forward to, when they can return to loving parents and annoying siblings and complain about the work load. I don't have the luxury of annoying little brothers and sisters. I don't know what it's like to have loving parents. I've never felt the warmth of a hug. I've never heard the three little words that so many people thrive on: "I love you." Oh, sure, I know Mother loved me. But she didn't ever tell me that outright, for some reason. It always hurt me a bit, but I never let on. After all, no one ever really talked to me. I hardly know what a real person looks like.

I suppose all this isolation has made me what I am. Except that I really don't know what that is. I mean, I know my name is Natalie McLain, but I don't know who I am. Mother told me I was special. Father says I am frustrating. The maids say that I'm tragic. The gardener says I am queer. But I am really not interested in their opinions. The only opinion I am interested in is _his_.

_He_ is the man who sent me a letter at the beginning of July. _He_ told me that I could amount to greatness.

_He_ said that I was _magical_.

The letter said that he is the headmaster of some school that I'd never heard of before. It said that I could be taught to be something powerful, to be something spectacular, to be something new. It contained a list of amazing and odd things that I would need if I wanted to attend the school. It mentioned that I would have to leave my home for most of the year.

It was a dream come true.

I had always wondered what was wrong with me. I never understood why strange things always seemed to happen to me without any warning whatsoever. When these strange things happened, Father always got upset and Mother always smiled at me wistfully. I never really understood their reactions, nor did I attempt to. Far be it from me to determine why bad things always seemed to happen around me. Why did the glass break when I was angry enough to throw something? Where did that doll come from the time Father made me cry? I didn't know, and I didn't ever expect to know. But when I read the letter, suddenly everything made sense. _I could do magic_. Not just parlor tricks and sleight-of-hand, but real magic. I wasn't a freak. I was a real person. There were other people like me.

Of course, now that I'm about to leave, I'm not so sure that this is the best choice. What if I'm not special after all? What if I just can't do it? Everyone will make fun of me and shun me. I'll be sent home. Father will make me feel worse that I already did. And this time, Mother won't be there to comfort me afterward.

Mother has been dead for a month now. Somehow, the house seems darker, emptier without her, as does my life. Even though she never told me outright, I know she loved me. She was the only person that ever did. And now she's gone. I'll never see her smile again or hear her laugh. She loved to laugh. When she laughed, even Father almost smiled. People loved Mother. They loved her energy. What happens to energy when it dies? Does it collapse in on itself and create a black hole, negative energy? Does the negative energy work as a vacuum, sucking up what little life there was before?

I had better get to sleep now if I'm going to go through with this school. I don't want to be utterly exhausted for the first day. Thinking negative thoughts certainly won't bode well for me. I'll just think about this school and the headmaster. Hogwarts, and someone named Harry Potter.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **A few things I think I should make very clear: THIS STORY IS AU. It was written before the release of Deathly Hallows. And while I did change a few details, I also left a lot as I had originally written. I felt that, for the purposes of maintaining the plot that I originally planned out, it would be better to leave this story as it is. That means that I created some characters (specifically, the children introduced in this chapter) that do not exist in the canon HP universe. I contemplated changing their names to the names that JK gave the next generation, but then I decided that it would only pose a lot of complications and I would rather just go with the proverbial flow and keep the names I had originally chosen.

Second point: by the second or third chapter, you may think that you've got everything figured out. Please don't send me reviews telling me how predictable I'm being. I assure you that I'm not really being all that predictable, and Natalie is not going to be a Mary Sue.

With that, enjoy chapter two.

* * *

September 1st 

2:03 PM

Dear Diary,

I'm not afraid anymore. When I carried my trunk down the stairs this morning, I was afraid. When Father growled at me before shoving me out the door, I was afraid. When I stood in front of that giant train, I was _terrified_.

Now I'm in that giant train, and I'm not so terrified.

People are nice, I've discovered. I thought they would all be either cold and distant, like Father, or bubbly and exciting, like Mother. So far, everyone I've met has simply been nice. I don't mind. I don't suppose you have to always be on or off. Extremes are a bit... well, extreme. And I _have_ met people. Although I have to admit, it certainly wasn't intentional.

I had had a bit of trouble finding my way onto the platform, what with it being a magical barrier and all. I was about to give up and just turn around to leave when I heard very loud arguing from nearby.

"Honestly, do you actually expect me to believe you? After all of the pranks you've pulled on me all summer, I'm supposed to just take your word for it that Hagrid _finally _managed to get his hands on a real live dragon?"

"I swear to you, I'm not lying! Would I lie to you?"

"Do you really want me to answer that question, or can you figure it out for yourself while I'm laughing in your face?"

The pair, a boy and a girl near my age, stopped short in front of the barrier and straightened out their luggage, bantering back-and-forth. The girl, the incredulous one, had thick reddish-brown hair and a slight spread of freckles over her nose. The boy, the alleged prankster, had fiery ginger hair and more freckles than the girl. Both had blazing blue eyes and looked quite a bit alike. I stood back, prepared to simply watch them and figure out how to get in.

"Laugh all you want, Minnie, but I'll have the last laugh when we get to Hogw-" He was interrupted by a jab from the girl's elbow. She had caught sight of me. I tried to shrink back, but it was too late. He saw me too and smiled. "Hello there. Need some help?"

I shook my head. I was trying not to act nervous, but I'm really not good at talking to strangers. "I was, uh, just about to, umm, go..."

"Nonsense," the girl stopped me. Her smile was similar to the boy's smile. "We should have been watching where we were going. Did we cut you off from the platform? I'm Minerva Weasley, by the way, but please call me Minnie."

"And I'm Al. Albus Weasley, at your service," the boy interjected, grinning devilishly and mock-bowing in front of me. I blushed, unsure of what to do. Minnie noticed this and elbowed him again.

"Excuse my twin," she told me. "He likes to make a complete and total idiot of himself. I sometimes wonder if we're really related, but our mother has documented proof." She grimaced, catching me off-guard, and I laughed. I don't know why that surprised me as much as it did. I guess it's because I hadn't laughed since Mother died. Can I tell you something, Diary? I think Mother would want me to laugh, even though she's gone.

"So, what's your name?" the twins asked simultaneously.

I smiled slightly. "It's Natalie. Natalie McLain. Pleased to meet the both of you. Did you say you were going to Hogwarts?"

They both seemed to sigh in relief. "Yes," Al agreed. "And I'm so glad you said something. I thought you might be one of them," he informed me conspiratorially. Minnie just rolled her eyes and glanced around the station at the busy crowd.

I had no clue what he meant by "one of them," but there was absolutely no way that I was going to say anything. I didn't want to look like a total moron! I had just met them, after all. So I nodded like I knew what he was talking about. That doesn't constitute as lying, does it Diary? I don't think it does... Anyway, Minnie chose that time to walk straight into the barrier, which really frightened me, although I didn't let on because neither of them seemed too worried. Minnie disappeared into the wall and I had to stop myself from gasping. Al followed right after. Then I took a deep breath and fell in step behind them. Before I knew it, I was through the wall and standing in front of a gigantic crimson steam locomotive. On the side of the engine in big, flowing golden script was the name, _Hogwarts Express_. It looked to have an impossible amount of compartments for students to travel in. I hadn't thought a magic school would have so many people in attendance. Somehow, the thought of Hogwarts being a large school frightened me. I guess it's because I don't really know how to behave around people. I didn't have much time to ponder that, though, as Minnie was busy pulling me onto the train. She led me down the long corridors, waving to almost everyone who had come out of their compartments to ogle the strange new girl being led by (I was guessing) the most popular girl in school. We finally stopped in the very last compartment of the train. Minnie and Al put their things on the overhead rack above the seats. I wasn't sure what I should do, but I ended up following suit and putting my trunk overhead before standing awkwardly and watching Al and Minnie get comfortable. I guess it can go without saying, Diary, that I'm almost _never_ comfortable around others, so I didn't exactly know what to do. Minnie almost had to physically force me to sit down and Al spent maybe ten minutes firing off random questions at me, just to get me to talk. Eventually I relaxed and got into the conversation. Actually, that could have been a mistake.

It started innocently enough. Al was just trying to get to know me. "So, what house are you in? I don't think I've ever seen you at school before."

I had no clue what he was talking about. Houses? "Actually, I'm, um, new."

Al blinked, surprised. "You're new? How old are you?"

I blushed. "Fifteen," I replied. Minnie and Al shared a glance before Minnie attempted to say something. I interrupted before she could, though. "Is something the matter?"

Minnie took a deep breath. "It's not necessarily a _bad_ thing," she assured me. "It's just... unusual."

"What is unusual?" I asked.

Al and Minnie shared another glance. "Most of the time, first years are... well, younger. About eleven or twelve." He paused. "Unless you're a transfer student?" I shook my head. "Were you home schooled? My aunt was."

I shook my head again. "No, I didn't even know I was magic until the beginning of July. That's when I got my letter."

Minnie frowned thoughtfully. "Do you still have the letter with you?" I nodded, unsure of exactly where she was going. "Can I see it?" I pulled it out of my pocket and handed it to her. Yes, Diary, I had it in my pocket. I've kept it with me since the day I got it. I guess I needed to have something to hold onto... you know, it case it was all just a dream.

"Huh," Minnie said as she read the letter. "I think it's genuine, and it's dated recent, but... it's different than the one I got."

Al shrugged. "Well, you know Harry. He likes to break the mold. Maybe all of the letters were different."

"But _ours_ weren't different from each other," Minnie protested. "None of our year's were. He does all of them pretty much the same." She laughed. "I know. I've helped him a couple of times, when he's been too busy with the ministry." (That reminds me, Diary, I don't know what the ministry is either.)

Eventually, though, they both dismissed the oddity as some strange working of the headmaster's mind. They decided to move on to other conversations, which gave me time to take out a pen and start writing. That's what I'm doing now. I wonder if I'm going to have to stop soon, though, because

3:11 PM

I'm sorry about that, Diary. The strangest thing just happened. Just as I was writing that sentence, the compartment door was flung open and a boy sped in. He was completely out of breath, as if he had been running from something. He collapsed in the chair nearest to the door and said, "I'm sorry, I need to hide for a minute." The second he had come into the compartment, Minnie had tensed up and Al looked about ready to kill someone. I was just in a daze. The boy was tall with pale skin and platinum blonde hair. His features were delicate, aristocratic even, but he didn't have a snobbish air or anything. He seemed almost shy. He opened his eyes to see who was in the room. His eyes were a shocking light blue; they reminded me of ice, except that ice is clear.

He was absolutely the most beautiful person I'd ever seen. (Diary, is it strange that I just called a boy beautiful?)

As soon as his eyes met with Al's, he jumped up. "I'm sorry, I'll leave now," he said hurriedly as he scrambled out of his seat.

Al sneered. "Good idea, Malfoy. Go find a scorpion to sit on instead." I didn't like this side of Al.

Minnie elbowed Al hard enough so that he lost his breath. She smiled weakly at the boy. "No Adrian, please. Stay. There probably aren't any more compartments open."

The boy... I suppose his name is Adrian, shook his head and moved for the compartment door. "No, really, it's alright. I- I've just remembered something I need to do..." He kept his eyes on the floor. He wouldn't make eye contact with either of them, although I understood his hesitance to look at Al. I don't think he knew I was even in the compartment.

"Are you sure?" Minnie asked unhappily.

Adrian nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure..."

I finally found my voice. "Please. Stay here."

Adrian raised his eyes to meet mine. I know I sound very silly, but I think my knees would have given out if I'd been standing up. He held my gaze for a long time before saying, "Maybe some other time," very softly. Then he walked out the door.

Diary, I don't think I've ever been so disappointed in my life.

"Who was that?" I asked Minnie.

"That," responded Al, "was Adrian Malfoy, the slime-ball son of Draco Malfoy."

I frowned. Adrian hadn't seemed like a slime-ball to me. Minnie glared at Al and clarified. "His father was a Death Eater, when Voldemort was in power. He's in Azkaban now..." she sighed sadly. "Adrian is always being picked on terribly by all of the students, simply because of who his father was."

"What's a Death Eater?" I asked. "Who's Voldemort? And Azkaban...?"

Minnie smiled a little. "I'm sorry, I keep forgetting you're new to all this. Death Eaters were really, really bad wizards. They liked to torture muggles and muggle-born wizards and witches for no real reason at all. They committed murders, i terrible /i murders. Many of Mum and Dad's friends..." She shuddered, then sighed. "But they're all gone now. Either dead or in Azkaban, the wizard prison."

I nodded slowly. "And Voldemort?"

Al and Minnie exchanged a glance. "About sixty years ago," Al started quietly, "A really dark wizard started growing in power. His whole premise was to 'purify' the wizarding community. He absolutely hated muggles, mainly because of how he grew up. He was a genius; he knew exactly how to appeal to people's baser instincts. He recruited followers, promising them power. Almost all of his followers were greedy, gullible, or just plain cruel. Whatever their reasons, they happily joined him and started wreaking havoc on the world. Muggles had no clue that what was happening was of the magical persuasion, but they were being just as affected by the murders as the magical folk.

"Then, after gaining power to the point of almost being unstoppable, something happened." He paused, waiting for my reaction.

I gave in. "What? What happened?"

"He was stopped," Minnie replied with a grin. "By a baby named Harry Potter."

My eyes must have been the size of dinner plates, Diary. "But isn't that the name of our headmaster?"

Minnie nodded. "There was a prophecy made when Harry was born claiming that someone would have the power to overthrow Voldemort, a power he would never know about until it was too late, but that there wasn't a clear outcome as to who would live in the end. Voldemort heard about the prophecy and went to find the child that could overthrow him. He was planning on killing the child."

"But something happened," continued Al, "that no one expected. Voldemort had to go through Harry's parents to get to Harry. After all, he was only a year old. And because Harry's mom had died to protect Harry, there was a magical force-field of sorts that caused the killing curse to bounce off Harry and hit Voldemort. It almost killed him."

"Almost?" I didn't understand. "Why didn't it kill him completely?"

"He had pieces of his soul tied up all over the world," explained Minnie. "Because they weren't with him when he was hit, they weren't affected."

Al took over again. "Thirteen years after Harry had defeated Voldemort, he rose into power again with the help of a loyal if cowardly follower. This started the second war. Harry and his two best friends-"

"Our mum and dad-" informed Minnie proudly.

"-took it upon themselves to find Voldemort and defeat him. They eventually did, but..." Al trailed off and glanced at Minnie.

"Many of the people who fought for the side of good were killed. Both the headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, and the headmistress, Minerva McGonagall; Sirius Black; Remus Lupin and his wife; Alastor Moody; our uncle, Fred Weasley..." Minnie stopped with what looked like a tear in her eye. "But we never knew any of them."

Al looked at his watch. "We're almost to the school," he said awkwardly. The feeling in the room was so tense; I think we were all relieved that one of us changed the subject. "We'd better get changed into our robes. Natalie, if you wanted to change in here you could. Minnie and I will see if we can fight our way into the lavatories."

I smiled gratefully at this comment before they both walked out of the room. I opened up my trunk and pulled out my robe with the Hogwarts insignia. The lady that fitted me told me my house insignia would show up once I was sorted, whatever that means. I changed quickly and took out a pen so I could write in my diary, which is what I'm doing now. Minnie and Al haven't come back yet.

It's odd, Diary. When I first bought all of my things like my wand and my books and my robes, it felt strange and dreamlike, as if I were just getting ready to play make-believe. Now it all feels increasingly real. There is a world out there where magic exists! And I suppose that there's good magic and bad magic, as well. I wonder what side I will belong to? Of course, I want to be good. But what is "good"? There really is no black-or-white... it's all just shades of grey, isn't it? Just look at poor Adrian Malfoy. His family was "bad", the world is "good", and he doesn't fit in anywhere.

I think I should like to get to know Adrian.


End file.
